Three-dimensional Laser-induced Fluorescence Research Articles

Experimental study of liquid spreading and atomization due to jet impingement in liquid–liquid systems

Liquid spreading and atomization due to jet impingement in liquid–liquid systems is considered to be crucial for understanding cooling behavior of high temperature molten martial into shallow water pool. This phenomenon takes place where a liquid jet enters a pool filled with another immiscible liquid. The jet spreads radially after impinging on the floor while forming a thin liquid film and atomizing droplets. In this study, we employed three-dimensional Laser-Induced Fluorescence (3D-LIF) measurements and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction to quantify its unsteady three-dimensional behavior. Under high flow velocity conditions, atomization occurred along with the spreading of the liquid film. To evaluate the spreading behavior of the liquid film, a comparison was made with the existing theory of gas–liquid systems. The spreading of the liquid film was suppressed compared with that of the gas–liquid system. Furthermore, the particle tracking velocimetry method was successfully used to measure the velocity boundary layer and velocity profile in the liquid film, which are important factors that affect the spreading mechanism of the liquid film. The results revealed that in liquid–liquid systems, shear stress at the liquid–liquid interface causes a decrease in the flow velocity and suppressed development of the velocity boundary layer. To evaluate the atomization behavior, the number and diameter distribution of the atomized droplets were measured from the acquired three-dimensional shape data of the jet. The number of droplets increased with the flow velocity. The results show that the jump radius is affected by such atomization behavior, and since the jump radius was lower than the theoretical value, we can conclude that the location of the hydraulic jump is expected to undergo an upstream transition.

Simulation of the 3D Structure of Pollutants Invading Sea Areas Based on 3DLIF Technology—A Case Study of the Round Tube Jet

Ren, J.; Wang, L.; Huang, Z.; Wang, X.; Li, H., and Lu, J., 2020. Simulation of the 3D structure of pollutants invading sea areas based on 3DLIF technology—A case study of the round tube jet. In: Liu, X. and Zhao, L. (eds.), Today's Modern Coastal Society: Technical and Sociological Aspects of Coastal Research. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 111, pp. 49–55. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Marine pollution is becoming increasingly severe with social and economic progress. The present study adopted the three-dimensional (3D) laser-induced fluorescence technology and used Rhodamine 6G and Rhodamine B fluorescent dyes to simulate the 3D structure of pollutants discharged in the form of a jet. We obtained the scalar field information, conducted 3D reconstruction, and could output the concentration and temperature fields of any cross section. Moreover, we observed and studied the structure and characteristics of the diffusion of pollutants from different perspectives based on the measurement results, and provided theoretical recommendations for the reduction and effective control of marine pollution.

Multiport Diffusers for Dense Discharge in Flowing Ambient Water

Experiments are reported on multiport diffusers typical of brine disposal from desalination plants discharging into flowing currents. Diffusers discharging from one side into coflowing and counterflowing currents and from both sides were tested. A three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system was used to determine bottom impact dilution, impact location, and rise height. The results were plotted in dimensionless form as functions of port spacing and current speed parameters and empirical equations were fitted. As the current speed increased, the impact location was swept farther downstream, rise height decreased, and impact dilution increased. The merging of closely spaced jets prevents intrusion into the space between the ascending and descending regions, which can alter the flow fields. The results did not become independent of port spacing, at least within the parameter ranges studied and the experimental uncertainty. Raising the diffuser above the bed, which allowed the flow to pass beneath it, can affect the flow patterns significantly. Dilutions were not significantly affected, however, possibly because the nozzles were elevated above the pipe with a spacing that allowed passage of entrained flow between them. The dependence of the observed flow patterns on relatively small changes in source conditions should be considered in diffuser designs to avoid constricting the diluting entrainment flow.

Direct comparison of two-dimensional and three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence measurements on highly turbulent flames.

This Letter reports the first direct comparison between two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) applied to highly turbulent flames, with the goal of experimentally illustrating the capabilities and limitations of volumetric LIF (VLIF). To accomplish these goals, planar LIF (PLIF) and VLIF measurements were simultaneously performed on turbulent flames based on the CH radical. The PLIF measurements imaged a planar cross-section of the target flames across a 2D field-of-view (FOV) of 42 mm×42 mm. The VLIF measurements imaged the same region in the target flame with a 3D FOV of 42 mm×42 mm×5 mm, with 5 mm being the thickness of the measurement volume. The VLIF signals generated in this volume were captured by five intensified cameras from different perspectives, based on which a 3D tomographic reconstruction was performed to obtain the 3D reconstruction of the CH radical (as a marker of the flame front). The PLIF measurements were then compared to a cross-section of the VLIF measurement to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of instantaneous 3D imaging of flame topography and flame surface area in highly turbulent flames.

Dense Jet Discharges in Shallow Water

AbstractExtensive Experiments on inclined dense jets typical of brine discharges into shallow water are reported. The experiments were conducted with nozzles oriented at 30°, 45°, and 60° to the horizontal and the spatial variations of tracer concentrations were measured by three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (3DLIF). Three flow regimes were identified: deep water, surface contact, and shallow water. The regimes depend on the value of dF/H, where d is the nozzle diameter, F the jet densimetric Froude number, and H the water depth; criteria were presented for the transitions between them. Flow images revealed complex three-dimensional interactions with the free surface, especially for steep nozzle angles in shallow water. Dilutions at critical points and their locations were measured. For deep water, all results followed those previously reported for fully submerged jets. As the depth decreases (or dF/H increases) to the surface contact regime, dilutions begin to decrease. Tracer concentration pro...

Developing a method to measure actual CT distribution in an ozone contactor with a reactive tracer test

CT (i.e. concentration × contact time) is one of the critical design and operational parameters to manage pathogen inactivation in ozone treatment. Ozone concentration and contact time are measured using an ozone sensor and a non-reactive tracer test, respectively. The actual CT value, however, might be different from this because of non-ideal flow in an ozone contactor. Hence, there is a need to investigate the spatial actual CT distribution. We developed a method to quantify CT distribution in an ozone contactor using a microsphere and three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence technology. The dyed carboxylate microsphere, 50nm in diameter, was used since its fluorescence decreased gradually according to CT without turbidity issues. The microsphere was fed continuously into an ozone contactor and reacted with ozone. After reaching steady state, planar laser sheets scanned a model ozone contactor and induced fluorescence light, which was captured with a high-speed video camera. The image was corrected and calibrated to produce fluorescence distribution, which was further processed into CT in an ozone contactor. We successfully obtained spatial actual CT distribution of a model ozone contactor and identified that CT distribution was not uniform in a model ozone contactor because of non-ideal flow.

Near-kHz 3D tracer-based LIF imaging of a co-flow jet using toluene

This work demonstrates tracer-based, high-repetition-rate planar (15 kHz) and three-dimensional (940 Hz) laser-induced fluorescence imaging. An off-the-shelf, pulsed, frequency-quadrupled Nd:YAG laser at 266 nm is used as the excitation light source, and a high-frame-rate intensified relay optic with a slow P46 phosphor coupled to a CMOS camera is used to image the fluorescence. Four different tracers are investigated (3-pentanone, acetone, anisole, and toluene) and relative signal levels are measured in the potential core of a laminar co-flow jet. Resulting SNR values range from 6 to 44 for the different tracers, and relative signal levels and SNR for each tracer are provided as an engineering-basis for tracer-based imaging diagnostic design. It was found that signal levels from anisole (relative to toluene) are about ten times less than suggested by other literature, owing to uncertainty in the reported absorption cross sections. Using toluene as a tracer and a custom-made piezo-actuated steering optic to scan the laser sheet, 3D LIF imaging at 940 Hz is demonstrated by visualizing a co-flow jet mixing with ambient air.

Visualizing and Quantifying Dose Distribution in a UV Reactor Using Three-Dimensional Laser-Induced Fluorescence

Evaluating the performance of typical water treatment UV reactors is challenging due to the complexity in assessing spatial and temporal variation of UV fluence, resulting from highly unsteady, turbulent nature of flow and variation in UV intensity. In this study, three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (3DLIF) was applied to visualize and quantitatively analyze a lab-scale UV reactor consisting of one lamp sleeve placed perpendicular to flow. Mapping the spatial and temporal fluence delivery and MS2 inactivation revealed the highest local fluence in the wake zone due to longer residence time and higher UV exposure, while the lowest local fluence occurred in a region near the walls due to short-circuiting flow and lower UV fluence rate. Comparing the tracer based decomposition between hydrodynamics and IT revealed similar coherent structures showing the dependency of fluence delivery on the reactor flow. The location of tracer injection, varying the height and upstream distance from the lamp center, was found to significantly affect the UV fluence received by the tracer. A Lagrangian-based analysis was also employed to predict the fluence along specific paths of travel, which agreed with the experiments. The 3DLIF technique developed in this study provides new insight on dose delivery that fluctuates both spatially and temporally and is expected to aid design and optimization of UV reactors as well as validate computational fluid dynamics models that are widely used to simulate UV reactor performances.

UV reactor flow visualization and mixing quantification using three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence

Three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (3DLIF) was applied to visualize and quantitatively analyze mixing in a lab-scale UV reactor consisting of one lamp sleeve placed perpendicular to flow. The recirculation zone and the von Karman vortex shedding that commonly occur in flows around bluff bodies were successfully visualized. Multiple flow paths were analyzed by injecting the dye at various heights with respect to the lamp sleeve. A major difference in these pathways was the amount of dye that traveled close to the sleeve, i.e., a zone of higher residence time and higher UV exposure. Paths away from the center height had higher velocities and hence minimal influence by the presence of sleeve. Approach length was also characterized in order to increase the probability of microbes entering the region around the UV lamp. The 3DLIF technique developed in this study is expected to provide new insight on UV dose delivery useful for the design and optimization of UV reactors.

Staying the course: chemical signal spatial properties and concentration mediate cross-stream motion in turbulent plumes

This study examined the role of broadly distributed sensor populations in chemosensory searching, especially cross-stream heading adjustment. We used three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence to collect chemical concentration data simultaneously with behavior observations of actively tracking blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Our analysis indicates that the spatial distribution of the odorant concentration field is necessary and sufficient to mediate correct cross-stream motion, although concentration provides information that supplements that obtained from the spatial distribution. Crab movement is continually adjusted to maintain an upstream heading, with corrections toward the source modulated only in the presence of chemical cues. Crabs detect and respond to shifts in the position of the center-of-mass (COM) of the odorant concentration distribution as small as 5% of the leg span, which corresponds to ∼0.8-0.9 cm. The reaction time after a 5% threshold shift in the position of the COM is in the range of 2-4 s. Data also indicate that these steering responses are dependent on stimulus history or other characteristics of the plume, with crabs taking longer to respond in conditions with large-scale spatial meanders. Although cross-stream motion is determined by chemical signal inputs to receptors on the walking legs, crabs do make rotational movements in response to chemical signals impinging on the antennules. These rotational movements do not affect the direction of travel, but rather, determine the crab's body angle with respect to the flow. Interestingly, these body angles seem to represent a compromise between reducing drag and obtaining better chemical signal information, and this trade-off is resolved differently under different plume conditions.

Getting ahead: context-dependent responses to odorant filaments drive along-stream progress during odor tracking in blue crabs

The chemosensory signal structure governing the upstream progress of blue crabs to an odorant source was examined. We used a three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system to collect chemical concentration data simultaneously with behavior observations of actively tracking blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in a variety of plume types. This allowed us to directly link chemical signal properties at the antennules and legs to subsequent upstream motion while altering the spatial and temporal intermittency characteristics of the sensory field. Our results suggest that odorant stimuli elicit responses in a binary fashion by causing upstream motion, provided the concentration at the antennules exceeds a specific threshold. In particular, we observed a significant association between crab velocity changes and odorant spike encounters defined using a threshold that is scaled to the mean of the instantaneous maximum concentration. Thresholds were different for each crab, indicating a context-sensitive response to signal dynamics. Our data also indicate that high frequency of odorant spike encounters terminate upstream movement. Further, the data provide evidence that the previous state of the crab and prior stimulus history influence the behavioral response (i.e. the response is context dependent). Two examples are: (1) crabs receiving prior odorant spikes attained elevated velocity more quickly in response to subsequent spikes; and (2) prior acceleration or deceleration of the crab influenced the response time period to a particular odorant spike. Finally, information from both leg and antennule chemosensors interact, suggesting parallel processing of odorant spike properties during navigation.

Experiments on Marine Wastewater Diffusers with Multiport Rosettes

The dispersion capabilities of two types of marine wastewater diffusers, one with risers containing eight radial ports (rosette) and the other with the ports uniformly distributed, were directly compared in laboratory experiments for three scenarios: stationary and flowing unstratified, and flowing stratified. Tracer concentration fields were measured with a three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system. The dispersion capabilities, particularly dilution, of the two diffuser types were similar. The primary differences occurred with no current where the rosette diffuser plumes were bent inwards, causing a dynamic interaction. This resulted in a small reduction in near field dilution, an increase in the spreading layer thickness, and a decrease of the near field length. These differences were virtually eliminated by a flowing current when the eight individual plumes from a rosette first merged with themselves and then with those from neighboring risers to become laterally quite uniform at the end of the near field. The major near field characteristics were primarily determined by the buoyancy flux per unit length. Temporal concentration fluctuations were high close to the diffuser and then decreased and leveled off near the end of the near field where the discharge-induced turbulence collapses. The fluctuations do not go to zero, however, owing to remnants of previous fluctuations.

Physical Model Study of an Alternating Diffuser for Thermal Discharge

Physical model tests were conducted of the mixing of heated water from a proposed thermal diffuser. Dilutions were measured and flows imaged by a three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system that provides vastly more data than conventional thermocouple techniques. The flows were quite three-dimensional. For zero current speed, the effluent mixed over the water depth, but only in a limited region, and a two-layer stratified flow developed toward the edges of the effluent field and farther downstream. For zero and slow currents, the lowest surface dilution occurred where the jet centerline intersected the water surface and could be reasonably predicted by simple free-jet calculations. The prediction of an entrainment model, UM3, was close to the observed results because the flow is three-dimensional and the entraining water can be supplied from the ends. CORMIX considerably underestimated the observed dilution because it uses a two-dimensional analysis and neglects the effect of source momentum flux....

Development of a High-Speed Three-Dimensional Flow Visualization Technique

A high-speed three-dimensional flow visualization system has been developed and is described. The technique is based on the high-speed scanning and subsequent imaging of a two-dimensional laser sheet through the flowfield. A three-dimensional image is then reconstructed from the stack of two-dimensional slices. The technique achieves high speeds using a home-built megahertz-rate pulse-burst laser system, a galvanometric scanning mirror, and a high-speed intensified charge-coupled-device camera capable of 500,000 frames per second. These components allow for the acquisition of three-dimensional image data with a resolution of 220 x 220 x 68 volumetric elements (voxels) in 136 μs. The speed of the technique is limited by the available camera speed and can be increased substantially using a higher-speed camera. The technique is demonstrated through three-dimensional visualization a turbulent round jet (Re = 6700) seeded with small water droplets for light scattering. Three-dimensional flow visualization images display numerous three-dimensional features of the jet, including ring vortices, azimuthal modes and counterrotating streamwise vortex pairs. Future work will focus on the development of a high-speed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence technique.

Experimental Studies on Vertical Dense Jets in a Flowing Current

Experiments were performed using three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence on turbulent vertical dense jets in flowing currents typical of brine disposal from seawater desalination plants. The flows are complex and different phenomena can dominate at different locations and at different current speeds, indicating that predicting these flows numerically will be quite challenging. At low current speeds, the rising and falling flows are almost vertical with some interference between them and the bottom flow spreads upstream as a wedge. At higher current speeds the wedge is expelled; the ascending flow is still almost vertical, but the descending flow is more gradual so the jet impacts the lower boundary farther downstream. Dilutions at the terminal rise height and impact point increase with increasing current speeds. Cross-sectional profiles of tracer concentration are neither axially or self-similar. In the descending flow, at low or intermediate current speeds, the plume is much taller than it is wide, the peak concentration occurs much closer to the top, and fluid can detrain from the jet. At higher current speeds, the profiles initially approach radial symmetry, but develop a kidney shape due to formation of two counter-rotating vortices farther downstream. These vortices cause the jet to almost completely bifurcate after impacting the bottom.

Mixing in Water Storage Tanks. I: No Buoyancy Effects

The results of extensive experiments on jet-induced mixing in water storage tanks are reported in two papers. The experiments were conducted on three styles of storage tanks using a newly developed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence (3DLIF) system that can measure the whole field of tracer concentrations in the tanks and its temporal evolution through the mixing process. Various inlet geometries were tested for each tank style. In this paper, the results of experiments with no buoyancy effects are given. The 3DLIF technique enabled complex flow patterns to be observed such as a donut-shaped dead zone that inhibited mixing in ground-level cylindrical tanks. Values of dimensionless mixing times are presented that enable comparisons of the mixing efficiency of different inlet configurations and allow prediction of mixing times in prototype tanks. For cylindrical tanks, the dimensionless mixing time increases with increasing depth-to-diameter ratio. Vertical nozzles at the bottom mixed most efficiently. If a single vertical nozzle is used, placing it near a sidewall is preferred. Mixing becomes somewhat more rapid as the number of nozzles increase. Mixing times for rectangular tanks are generally similar to cylindrical tanks. The use of a tube intended to enhance mixing actually inhibited mixing in standpipe tanks.

Marine Wastewater Discharges from Multiport Diffusers. IV: Stratified Flowing Water

Experiments on the near-field mixing of wastewater discharged from multiport diffusers into stratified flowing waters are reported for conditions typical of actual ocean sewage outfalls. Dilutions were measured by a newly developed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system combined with refractive-index matching and by a microconductivity probe. The plume dynamics are complex. Depending on port spacing, plumes discharged from the upstream diffuser side may merge first with themselves, and then with the plumes discharged from the downstream side. Or the plumes that are horizontally opposed may first merge, followed by lateral merging. In all cases, however, the wastefield eventually becomes laterally homogeneous. The results are analyzed in terms of line or point-source parameters and it is found that they can be predicted by assuming the discharge to be a line plume when s∕ lb <1.0 and as point plumes for s∕ lb ⩾6.0 . Semiempirical equations to predict the near-field dilution, near-field length,...

Marine Wastewater Discharges from Multiport Diffusers. I: Unstratified Stationary Water

Laboratory experiments on the near-field mixing of buoyant plumes discharged from multiport diffusers into unstratified stationary water are reported. Dilution was measured by a newly developed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system and a microconductivity probe. Significant additional mixing (and dilution) occurs beyond the point where the plume impacts the water surface. This mixing ceases when the turbulence generated by the plumes collapses in the surface spreading layer. The port spacing, s, was varied through a range encompassing line to point source conditions. In all cases, the concentration distribution in the surface layer eventually becomes laterally uniform. Measurements of the near-field dilution, length, and layer thickness, and semiempirical equations to predict them are presented. The discharge behaves as a line plume when s/H⩽0.3, and as a point plume when s/H⩾1.0. The additional near-field mixing for a point plume is much greater than for a line plume. Basing diffuser design on near-field dilution rather than impact-point dilution allows the use of far fewer ports, or risers, with considerable potential cost savings, particularly for tunneled outfalls.

Marine Wastewater Discharges from Multiport Diffusers. II: Unstratified Flowing Water

Laboratory experiments on the near-field mixing of buoyant plumes discharged from multiport diffusers into unstratified flowing water are reported. The spatial variation of dilution was measured by a newly developed three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence system and a microconductivity probe. The near-field hydrodynamics are complex. The plumes discharged upstream dilute and merge more rapidly than those discharged downstream. Even with wide port spacing, the plumes eventually merge to form a laterally uniform surface wastefield. The density profile in this wastefield becomes gravitationally stable and suppresses mixing, marking the end of the near field. The value of the port spacing ratio, s/H, below which the discharge approximates a line plume is greater for discharge into a flowing current than into a stationary environment, so the port spacing plays a lesser role in a flowing current. The mixing and dilution that occurs in the surface layer is less than for a discharge into a stationary environment, and it decreases as the current speed increases. Semiempirical equations to predict the major near field characteristics are presented.

Three-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence measurements in a helicon plasma

We describe a three-dimensional (3D) laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) diagnostic for argon ions in a helicon plasma source. With three different laser injection orientations at a single spatial location, LIF measurements are performed to determine the 3D ion temperature and the 3D ion flow vector. The measurement process is then repeated at multiple locations in a cross section of the plasma column to create a two-dimensional (2D) map of the 3D ion flow, the ion temperature, and metastable ion density. Scanning in the 2D plane is accomplished by mounting the injection and collection optics on stepping motor driven stages.